WHEN Darwin teenager Ryan Fenton was diagnosed with leukaemia in February, doctors told him he needed to travel to Adelaide urgently for treatment.

The next day, he was on a flight to South Australia with his mother Jewel and sister Sonya, 14, in tow in a trip expected to last at least six months while he undergoes advanced chemotherapy and testing not available in the Northern Territory.

The daunting, last-minute move meant finding a new place to temporarily call home- and fast.

The family were moved into the newly-built Bridgestone Australia Leukaemia Foundation Village almost immediately.

“It was a big upheaval and we’re so grateful that finding somewhere to live was made so easy. It was a stress taken out of the equation and it’s such a great place.”

The village, setup at Northfield as a home-away from home for families with a loved one receiving blood cancer treatment, has received a $50,000 funding boost from The Advertiser Sunday Mail Foundation.

The ASMF raised a record $100,000 at its Clipsal 500 Ladies Day Luncheon late last month and the money was split between three worthy causes, the Leukaemia Foundation, Oz Harvest and the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s research into ovarian cancer.

ASMF patron Angela Condous said she was proud of the money raised and the difference it would make to these organisations.

Clipsal 500 chief executive Mark Warren said he was pleased to see so many race-goers contributing to such a worthy cause.

“We hope the vital funds and awareness raised throughout the 2014 Clipsal 500 plays a part in helping individuals and families affected by blood cancer,” he said.

Leukaemia Foundation SA/NT general manager Simon Matthias said the funding will go towards the upkeep of the village.

“These funds will be vital in providing regional families with a home-away-from-home at the new Bridgestone Australia Leukaemia Foundation Village while undergoing treatment in Adelaide,” he said.